British troops prepare in Kuwait for invasion

British troops have arrived in Kuwait to prepare for a possible military attack on neighbouring Iraq, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday.

Soldiers from 102 Logistics Brigade are drawing up plans to transport, supply and accommodate an invasion force. Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal arrived at the Glen Douglas defence munitions base on Loch Long to pick up arms and supplies before sailing to the Gulf.

Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, is expected to announce a further deployment of troops to the region later this week.

Britain is likely to send between 15,000 and 20,000 troops, and 200 Challenger 2 tanks, to complement a US force announced by Washington. HMS Ark Royal will lead a 16-ship flotilla carrying thousands of sailors and marines. Officially it is sailing for exercises in the Far East but the force has been upgraded in case it needs to be switched to action in the Gulf. A second helicopter carrier, HMS Ocean, will join the task force later this month.

If war goes ahead, Britain is expected to send most of its main fighting ground force, the First Armoured Division, from its bases in Germany.

* The number of sailors going absent without leave has more than trebled in the past five years. A total of 108 sailors went Awol last year, compared with 29 in 1998.